Coming home to a big house with a great wife and great children, or coming home to mountains of money, or even coming home to an RV that’s going across the country. This, in its many forms is the American dream. The American dream is the ideal, that every United States citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, and determination. This said, The American dream is in the eye of the beholder. One man’s American dream, can be living life on the road, leaving no street untouched. Another’s could be making it big, getting super rich. The American dream can be or mean many things, and is defined by the person trying to achieve it. In “Hiding From Reality,” Bob Herbert tells his readers, that this
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This reader is, Cal Thomas. Mr. Thomas thinks that the American dream can still be achieved. Cal stated in “Is the American Dream Over,” “The rules for achieving the American dream may no longer be taught in and supported by culture, but that doesn't mean they don't work. The rules are known to previous generations: studying and staying in school; achieving at least an undergraduate degree; avoiding drugs that harm your mind and body; getting married before you have children and working hard to stay married as an example to those children and to benefit society; saving and investing for retirement so as not to burden taxpayers and relatives; living within one's means; demonstrating personal honesty and professional integrity, which comes from character developed in one's youth, usually with a sense of right and wrong once imposed by parents and affirmed by culture” (Thomas, 2010, n.p.). Unlike Bob Herbert, Cal Thomas believes that the rules for the American dream are still out there and hence the American dream is still possible. In “Is the American Dream Over,” Mr. Thomas quotes, Mr. Herbert’s article, and attacks it over and over again by stating, America is the way it is because of liberals like Bob (Thomas, 2010). On top of that, Cal Thomas states that liberalism is hurting the American dream and if we want it back, we need to get rid of liberalism entirely (Thomas, 2010). At the end of the article, Mr. Thomas sums up his whole article by stating, “America will never get its act together until we recognize how much trouble we're really in," writes Herbert. That's true, but more than acknowledging the obvious is needed. We must also understand what got us here and the path that leads upward. What got us here is unrestrained liberalism. What will get us back on the right path is ... (see above)” (Thomas, 2010,
This reader is, Cal Thomas. Mr. Thomas thinks that the American dream can still be achieved. Cal stated in “Is the American Dream Over,” “The rules for achieving the American dream may no longer be taught in and supported by culture, but that doesn't mean they don't work. The rules are known to previous generations: studying and staying in school; achieving at least an undergraduate degree; avoiding drugs that harm your mind and body; getting married before you have children and working hard to stay married as an example to those children and to benefit society; saving and investing for retirement so as not to burden taxpayers and relatives; living within one's means; demonstrating personal honesty and professional integrity, which comes from character developed in one's youth, usually with a sense of right and wrong once imposed by parents and affirmed by culture” (Thomas, 2010, n.p.). Unlike Bob Herbert, Cal Thomas believes that the rules for the American dream are still out there and hence the American dream is still possible. In “Is the American Dream Over,” Mr. Thomas quotes, Mr. Herbert’s article, and attacks it over and over again by stating, America is the way it is because of liberals like Bob (Thomas, 2010). On top of that, Cal Thomas states that liberalism is hurting the American dream and if we want it back, we need to get rid of liberalism entirely (Thomas, 2010). At the end of the article, Mr. Thomas sums up his whole article by stating, “America will never get its act together until we recognize how much trouble we're really in," writes Herbert. That's true, but more than acknowledging the obvious is needed. We must also understand what got us here and the path that leads upward. What got us here is unrestrained liberalism. What will get us back on the right path is ... (see above)” (Thomas, 2010,